Hike major bird habitat in Crex Meadows

Hay Creek Trail

A plethora of trails run through the Crex Meadows Wildlife Area, an expansive, 30,000-acre wetlands in southwest Burnett County, Wis. Among the most popular of those walking paths is Hay Creek Trail, a 1.5-mile loop.

To reach the trail, from Grantsburg, take the road north at the Hwys. 70. 87 and 48 intersection. Watch for and follow the yellow goose painted on the roadway, which winds you through town until reaching the intersection of County Roads D and F. Turn right onto County Road D then take the next left into the visitor center parking lot. The trailhead is behind the center.

Pine barrens
Take the trail clockwise. It heads through a forested area to the Lower Hay Creek Flowage. A flowage is a lake created when a river or creek is dammed, typically to prevent flooding, but when in an urban setting often for hydroelectric power.

The forested area is among the higher elevations of land in Crex Meadows. The wildlife area preserves sedge marshes and brush prairie habitats, and boasts the largest remaining section of Wisconsin’s endangered pine barrens ecosystem.

The pine barrens once stretched for about 1500 square miles across northwest Wisconsin. When the last ice age’s glacier retreated some 13,000 years ago, it left a sandy plain; the marshes in the area are all that remain of Glacial Lake Grantsburg. Red and jack pines along with prairie grasses dominate the barrens.

Migrating birds, butterflies
Today, the protected ecosystems ensure that Crex Meadows annually is a major stop for migrating birds. Indeed, more than 270 bird species – including sandhill cranes, whose wingspans can reach up to seven feet – inhabit the wildlife area. Their stop off here in October draws birdwatchers from around the world.

Nearly 100 types of butterflies can be found here as well. Otters, black bears, wolves and a number of other animals also call the wildlife area home.

If you have a family dog, Rover is welcome on the trail. From April 15 to July 31, dogs must be leashed, though.

On the way back to the parking lot, stop at the visitor center for displays of local animals. A warning if children are with you: There’s a gift shop at the center.

Read more about day hiking Crex Meadows in my Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Crex Meadows Wildlife Area guidebook.

Diverse day trails abound at Crex Meadows

Upper Phantom Cross Country Ski
and Hiking Trail from parking area
along East Refuge Road

Several walking paths and jeep trails run through Crex Meadows Wildlife Area north of Grantsburg, Wis. Among the more popular ones are:
g Abel Prairie Trail – Day hikers can discover what northwest Wisconsin’s grasslands looked like in pre-pioneer days with a walk along this easy half-mile (1-mile round trip) out-and-back trail. It follows the western and southern shores of Zulliger Flowage as skirting a restored prairie area.
g Hay Creek Trail – The 1.5-mile loop heads through a forested area to the Lower Hay Creek Flowage. The forested area is among the higher elevations of land in Crex Meadows.
g Reed Lake Meadow State Natural Area Trail – On James Road south of Reed Lake Road, take the jeep trail west to the parking lot at the edge of the Reed Lake Meadow State Natural Area, a wetlands between Reed Lake in the north and Dike 1 in the south. South of the trail is prime territory for spotting sharp-tailed grouse, who often dance here in mating displays from late March through May.
g Reed Lake Trail – From Reed Lake Road east of North Refuge Road Road, take the jeep trail south to the parking lot on the northshore of Reed Lake; walk the out-and-back trail back to Reed Lake Road. A pine-oak forest sits to the trail’s west while a sand blow with dunes is to the east.
g Phantom Trail – On East Refuge Road, take the jeep trail going west, just before reaching Lundquist Road. The out-and-back skirts a wetlands before reaching the southeast edge of Phantom Lake, which at 2000 acres is the largest waterbody at Crex Meadows.
g Upper Phantom Cross Country Ski and Hiking Trail – Day hikers can walk across what once the bottom of an Ice Age lake and now is a rare, vanishing ecosystem. The longest trail at the wildlife area reserved solely for walking (or cross country skiing in winter) actually is a 3.7-mile set of three loops with two stems linking it to parking areas.
g YCC Hiking Trail – The trail loops through the Rest Area Flowage north of Reisinger Lake. An observation platform at the loop’s southwest end looks out onto lake and the Crex Meadows State Wildlife Refuge. Park at the rest area on North Refuge Road east of Currey Road.

Read more about day hiking Crex Meadows in my Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Crex Meadows Wildlife Area guidebook.